Talent from other sports bolsters Greenbrier squad

Monday

Football season hasn't started at Greenbrier, but Wolfpack head coach Scott Chadwick can already claim he accomplished a goal this year.

Baseball and basketball players are playing football.

"That was a major part of what I wanted to do with the program - make sure we got the athletes at this school out for football," Chadwick said. "Really, I think we've made very good strides here. We've got some kids playing for us that ordinarily in the past wouldn't have played."

That's why senior Andy Gray is now running routes as a wide receiver instead of shooting hoops in the gym. The same goes for junior cornerback Horace Carney and senior receiver Gardner Pippen. A host of ninth and tenth graders at the junior varsity level are also becoming two-sport athletes.

"We want this to be a total athletic program. A big part of that is getting all the athletes out to play football," Chadwick said. "As a football coach who's the athletic director, I'm also trying to get the football kids in as many sports as possible."

Whether or not the increased interest in football will pay off has yet to be determined, but it does mean the Wolfpack may start 20 players this year.

"With 70-some kids on the varsity team, we're able to let kids focus on one side of the ball," Chadwick said. "Salonick (Amos) and Dylan (Turner) are probably the only two who will play extensively on both offense and defense."

Amos and senior Bryan Andrews return as two of the top cornerbacks in the county. They'll be behind a defense much improved compared to last year's unit that gave up 28.3 points per game.

"I think the biggest thing is that we're a much better team defensively. Our kids are bigger and stronger this year," Chadwick said.

The same holds true for the Wolfpack offense led by senior Nick Richards. Last year's starting quarterback returns with the team's hopes on his shoulders.

"The big key to our season has got to be Nick," Chadwick said. "He has every tool possible. He has (NCAA) Division 1-A tools: arm, size, athletic ability. He just needs to put it all together this year."

In that sense, Richards is a microcosm of the entire Greenbrier football program. The team hasn't had a winning season is three years, but, like Richards, the tools are there to change the trend. In Chadwick's second year as head coach at Greenbrier, the road to a winning record is an uphill climb.

"I don't think we lost to a team last year that we were better than, but that lets you know you need to be getting better," he said. "We're going to be a better football team this year. The challenge is to make the record reflect that we're a better football team."

COACH: Scott Chadwick (second year with team, tenth year overall, 67-37 career record)

CLASSIFICATION: Region 3-AAAA, Georgia High School Association

2006 RECORD: 4-6

PROGRAM STATUS: Losing records three years in a row put the program in a slump, but there is hope. Second-year coach Chadwick turned around two other football programs at schools in Maryland with worse track records. To do that, he's established a strong coaching staff that includes former Cross Creek coach Kevin Hunt (defensive coordinator) and Wolfpack baseball coach Rodney Holder (offensive coordinator).

2007 STORY: Senior QB Nick Richards (6-4, 210) is the best quarterback Wolfpack fans have seen in a while. The offense will run through the big veteran, and he'll have a few sure-handed targets to throw to in seniors Andy Gray and Salonick Amos. In a region with run-first programs like Statesboro and the Brunswick schools, the forward pass will turn some heads and may catch opponents off guard.

HALF-FULL OUTLOOK: This team is better than last year's 4-6 squad, and the prospect of a strong air attack means there will be exciting football to watch at the Brierpatch this year. The defense, which got pushed around last year, is bigger in size and strength this time around. If all the pieces fall into place, Greenbrier fans may find their team contending for a state playoff bid by year's end.

HALF-EMPTY OUTLOOK: No matter how improved Greenbrier is this year, it's hard to compete in the region standings against powerhouses like Statesboro and Ware County.